75 degrees, Yoga, a little fitness research, a TJ’s visit, a little bloggin, Spin.. it’s been a wonderful couple days!
FITNESS
I’ll be so sad when this break is over and I can’t freely go to any old Fitness or Yoga class I please .. :p
Getting In Tune
So I’ve only been doing Yoga for about 4 weeks now, but sometime around the beginning of the 2nd week I realized that I couldn’t have found anything better for dealing with the oh so dreaded post-fitness competition rebound. As I’ve continued, this has only been further supported.
Whether it’s Fitness PC to say or not, the extremely strict diet leading up to a competition and the resulting desire to consume all those off-limits treats post-comp is certainly disordered eating. No NOT an eating disorder, but rather an unnatural dietary regiment that leads to confusion and nutrition miscues. I’ve learned my post-comp response was fairly standard. I wanted all carbs all the time and found myself eating things because I could, not because I necessarily really wanted them. I wasn’t even going overboard with sweets, processed foods or fatty (saturated) junk; it was more an issue of eating for the sake of eating. Now I see that I had lost touch with being able to listen to what my body wanted. The strict pre-comp diet left me hungry every 2 hrs and rarely full. I learned to ignore any and all craving (healthy or unhealthy) because there were only a set number of foods I could/would eat. So once the shows were over, I was a nutritionally lost soul. It certainly didn’t help that I wasn’t use to digesting fruits, dairy and many carbs and vegetables. So even if I was hungry, it would only take a few bights of yogurt or bread and I was miserably full. It really messes with your head.
But what’s happened in the last few weeks has been phenomenal. I suppose the stars just sort of aligned. I started Yoga around the same time I started my IIN coursework. Up until now, I feel my background in gymnastics, and now fitness & weight training, has certainly allowed me to be more in tune with my body on an athletic level (knowing good pain from bad pain and how far I can push myself), but this hasn’t necessarily carried over to my diet and proper nourishment. But in a remarkably short period of time, I have really started to improve my ability to listen to my body’s nutritional needs and decipher cravings. I strongly believe this has everything to do with starting Yoga with an open-mind for what it could teach me physically and mentally. This, in combination with my continued education in holistic nutrition (the idea that what you eat has everything to do with physical and social well being) and mindful eating has truly made me a healthier person. It sounds almost lame to say, but I’m not sure how else to explain it. It’s not like any drastic change occurred, more that I’ve become more in tune with what my body is telling me it wants. After all, the body doesn’t lie, it’s our brains that mess it up!
I have so much more I want to talk about here! Look for more specific posts in the future 
ED Treatment Potential
My recent experience led me to wonder about Yoga as a possible treatment for eating disorders, so I did a little research. Turns out a couple places are trying the idea. For fairly obvious reasons, old philosophy on eating disorders didn’t exactly encourage exercise, but top treatment clinics are now trying this new tactic. In fact, studies have found that mind-body exercise, like yoga, may improve body satisfaction and reduce disorder eating behavior. The study concluded that, “In yoga class, a woman develops sensitivity to bodily sensations and practices listening to her body’s feedback. This heightened sensitivity and responsiveness to bodily sensations is associated with less preoccupation of physical appearance, more positive views of the body, and more healthy regulation of food intake. The greater the number of hours a woman practiced yoga in a week was associated with even less self-objectification and greater satisfaction with her body, while the more hours a woman spent performing aerobic activity was linked with greater disordered eating” (source: medicalnews.com).
Another article explained how Yoga helps create a better mind, body, spirit connection, and that such awareness leads to increase respect for the physical body. I couldn’t agree more with this part, because Fitness really started to teach me respect for my body versus simply wanting to look a certain way. I think the strategic difference with Yoga is the even greater emphasis on ‘mind,’ and of course the inclusion of ‘spirit,’ which is completely ignored in standard fitness.
If you’re interested in learning more:
Using Yoga & Meditation to Treat Eating Disorders
NUTRITION
I finally tried Kefir! I got the Plain Low-Fat variety from Lifeway Organic. For those who haven’t tried it, Kefir is a Superfood that’s thick like drinking-Yogurt and can be made from any type of milk. It contains live & active cultures, including the highly touted (& for good reason) probiotics. Kefir is unique because it is made from a gelatinous particle called “grains.” The grains which contain bacteria and yeast ferment to create cultured Kefir. It contains impressive amounts of vitamins, minerals & amino acids, and complete protein that is easy to digest. Active cultures & probiotics boost immunity, aid digestion and perhaps lower cholesterol and ward off cancer-causing toxins. So perhaps the saying should be switched to “Kefir.. it does a body good!” :p
(Source: Kefir.net, Kefir.com, Yourkefirsource.com)
I tried it for the first time drizzled over my homemade Granola.. holy yum! This is a very dangerous, but delcious, combo.
So if I have Kefir.. of course I must try Muesli. I roughly followed a recipe from Joy at Joyous Health.
Overnight Muesli
1 c Oats
1 c TJ’s Omega Trail Mix
1.5 c H2o
1 tbsp Kefir
1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice
I mixed everything together and let it sit out on the counter, loosely covered, overnight.
And this is what it looked like in the morning. I think I might have added too much water because I’m guessing it was suppose to all be absorbed..
I added a couple tbsp Kefir and topped it with sliced Strawberries..
A Few Other Highlights
Pumpkin Greek Yogurt (1/3 c Greek Yogurt + 1/3 c Pumpkin) topped with Maple Apples..
Kale with Spaghetti Squash (finally used it up!), Chicken Breast, 1 tbsp Pinenuts, 1/2 tbsp shredded Parmesan..
A hit-the-spot, post-Yoga, lunch of Baby Spinach topped with Savory Tofu, dried Tomatoes, 1 tbsp Pinenuts and 1/4 c Cottage Cheese (even though it looks like more than that!)..
Too Sweet Treat
I picked up a container of the Strawberry Silken Creations the other day, but I made quite the rookie mistake. Instead of properly examining the nutrition facts, I just bought it thinking ‘it’s Tofu.. it’s healthy and low cal right?’.. Wrong! It only took a quick taste to tell that this product is pumped full of sugar, and the nutrition facts reflect it! I serving of Silken Creations has 120 calories and 20 sugars, whereas as one serving of the regular stuff has 45 calories and no sugar. There are way better sweets for that type of nutrition profile. Skip this product and just have real fruit!
Health-Loving Reads
I finished reading Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal, founder of IIN, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in improving their health. It’s not a text book and it’s not just for IIN students. It introduces you to the idea of Primary Foods and the first steps towards becoming more aware of your body’s nutritional needs and therefore being able to decipher the best eating philosophy (the word ‘diet’ is so often misconstrued) for you.
IN OTHER NEWS
A Quick Vent..
I’m sure a lot of you have seen all the ‘Please Vote for me for _____ photo shoot/cover’ popping up lately. I think all of these ladies are gorgeous and all deserve covers/spreads/etc but it bothers me that some of these people only post on Facebook, send Facebook message, Tweet, etc when they want votes for these things. Sorry if that’s mean or negative, but there are so many women (and men) out there equally worthy who also take the time to be a part of a community by interacting and sharing their experiences and knowledge. On the positive side, I want to send an extra HUGE thanks to all those in the fitness & health living online communities. You are amazing, you inspire me and have my vote everyday!
Fun Links
Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food and the new Food Rules, on The Daily Show
20 Ways to Get Healthy for Free
On another note, with school starting again I think I’m going to move to posting every other day. I can’t believe how busy I’ve been over break, and classes will only make it crazier. Hopefully this will also helpto keep it fresh and provide new, and hopefully interesting, content, versus just posting repetitive blah. I’m excited because I have a bunch of topic ideas and can’t wait to hear from you all!
Can’t believe tomorrow’s Wednesday, and it’s going to be a great one! .. Lifting with my trainer, spin & yoga Hope yours is wonderful too!
So I know I got a little serious with the mind-body and eating disorder stuff, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Have you experienced greater body understanding as a result of exercise? Does exercise impact your healthy eating habits?
Fun Links
I want your pumpkin greek yogurt..looks great. I love how Yoga can relax and center you.
I was wondering about the silken creations. I have been making my own sort of treats based off of a tofu yogurt recipe in Oxygen. I looked at the nutritional values of the silken creations and was a little shocked at the sugars and calories. Just b/c it appears to be healthy doesn’t mean it is right?
I really like your post tonight by the way. You should think about writing a book or article at the least about the realities of fitness competitions. The good, the bad, the ugly kind of thing. I am the kind of person who if I started to be super strict with my diet like that, I’d take it to the extreme. I think there is a fine line and I really think you hit the nail on the head about disordered eating vs eating disorder. I think it’s awesome that yoga is helping and that it may actually be used as a treatment in eating disorders. Very cool.
Love your spaghetti squash meal! I need to try that combo
i agree. i definitely don’t get to yoga nearly as much as i’d like, but when i do, i realize how much i appreciate my body and what it does for me. yoga opens up my mind to SO many things and really hits me spiritually.
I love your post, I definately learned something new. Read it word for word, but I think I might have to read it again
just to really absorb it so I can talk about it if that sort of topic comes up.
I feel like the majority of people eat things because they could! esp me, and that habit has got to change. I also realized that I am not a mindful eater as well, something I’ve got to fix. And when you mentioned Yoga helping with ED, a lightbulb just sort of flicked in my head, and I agree that would be a great treatment.
Btw, I ran out of spaghetti squash too, as of right now
What a great post! I could spend all day learning from you on nutrition and eating, I just love it!
I do learn so much from you – Keep up the great work!
XXOO
I found those ‘yoga possibly treating eating disorders’ studies very interesting. I can see how my fitness suffers when my mind & spirit are not there. For example when I’m about to serve in tennis but worry about work & redundancy, there is more than 80% chance that I won’t get that service in as I just can’t concentrate and visualize that service in my head. Same applies to running; I just can’t get what I want from my body if my mind decides to work against me.
What I love about yoga is that journey – it doesn’t matter how fit you are. A person who has been practising yoga and is extremely skilled at it is on the same journey as the person who has just started and is using blocks and bands. The whole competitiveness gets taken out of it and for somebody like me (competitive control freak) that is a great relief. I feel I don’t have to compete with anybody (including myself) and just be. Hope it makes sense! 
Great post! I totally understand the post comp blues. For months our lives are so structured and then it stops…we get confused. We see magazine covers and wonder how those girls look like that. Well, the same way we got there. They don’t look like that year round.
I used to do yoga all the time. It is very freeing.
I’ve never competed and that is the exact reason why. I know I have already walked the fine line of disordered eating and I think prepping for a comp and the after effects would put me over the edge. Not to say everyone who competes struggles with this…I just know it would be dangerous for me!
That’s so interesting about the yoga. I’ve been saying for awhile that I need to get back into yoga but I haven’t done it yet. I’m definitely motivated. I am going to do a class tonight! Thanks for the great info!